Industry News: SUVs and Crossovers Pass Sedans In Sales

[William Maley]

Congratulations America. It seems we now buy more SUVs and crossovers than sedans according to a new study from IHS Automotive. Through May of 2014, IHS says that SUVs and CUVs account for 36.5 percent of new car registrations, compared to the 35.4 percent of registrations for sedans. This is a reversal from five years ago where sedans stood at 36.3 percent of registrations, compared to the 31.4 percent for SUVs and crossovers.

“It’s not that sedans have become unpopular. It’s just that CUVs have really grown. They drive like cars, but they have higher positioning, the option for four-wheel drive and better fuel economy. There’s more space for seating. It’s easy to see why they’ve taken off in popularity,” said Tom Libby, analyst for IHS Automotive.

The one thing we wished the study showed is the breakdown in registration percentages if SUVs and crossovers were separated. Otherwise, the results don't come as surprise.

Source: Bloomberg

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[rkmdogs]

The issue boils down to useability.

The SUVs and CUVs, we used to call them station wagons, have greater capabilities and

flexibility of usage than the current crop of sedans, I believe due to downsizing.

People have not gotten smaller! They need the space these types of vehicles provide.

Then too, in the event of an accident there is the issue of mass --- more metal to crunch instead

of bones --- that is the perception, regardless of the level of crush sophistication in the cars design.

Buyers today are not as technically astute as they were years ago, before cars became another

appliance commodity. Ignorance plays a role in allowing the manufacturers to sway opinion, over reality and facts!

The other major factor is politics. In their ignorance of the machine, the buyers have allowed the

politician to interfere in the design criteria and a belief that protection is better than avoidance.

 

As cars have become more common as a necessity, driver skills have gone down. This is why there has been the cry for "more protection" from some. Ralph Nader led this charge years ago.

Many drivers today are more interested in the entertainment attachments than the internal mechanicals of their car. Some don't even know how to do checking of fluids or minor maintainence.

[G. David Felt]

I love my Full Size SUV's and will never be a full time real car user.

 

Sadly I exect Sierra club and the rest of all the tree hugging nazi's to attack the CUV's / SUV's saying people do not need them. I just hope the public does not give into these home grown terrorist.

[A Horse With No Name]

Actually, I love nature and I love machines. My real goal would be for us to have alternative fuels so that our great grand children can enjoy an escalade if they wish to.

That being said, people love the room and seating position of cuv type vehicles. Americans have not gotten any smaller!

[ocnblu]

I really want to see how much a Chevy Trax LTZ AWD is going to cost.

[SoCalCTS]

SUV's and CUV's aren't rally the same thing. A lot of CUV buyers would NEVER purchase an SUV. They shouldn't lump the numbers together.

[G. David Felt]

SUV's and CUV's aren't rally the same thing. A lot of CUV buyers would NEVER purchase an SUV. They shouldn't lump the numbers together.

I would love to see the break out plus the break out of HD versions of trucks versus non HD versions as with 2wd versus 4x4. It would really be interesting to see the real numbers of what is selling.

[A Horse With No Name]

All of the lower MPG vehicles until the next fuel price shock....which may be severe.

[rkmdogs]

See ! ----

Not one blog yet about the technical aspects of these two types of vehicles.

Nobody has even mentioned towing!

How do all those boats and ATVs get around?

Maybe those folks don't look at this website ???

[regfootball]

my parents live a town that is a decent easy part drive from Canada and its a large enough town where the Canucks come down and shop the malls etc. very often.

 

When i went to visit them recently, i went to the mall and i saw two Manitoba Trax within a few minutes.  Cute lil thing!  I can bet you the Trax will do well.  I saw an Orlando too that day and be glad that Chevy did not bring that turd down to the US.......

 

I think sedans would do better if they made them more spacious!  For example two cars I tested out this weekend, A passat and Legacy, both have good passenger space but not real good trunk space.  I could see bypassing them for a CUV for family use.

 

One car that gets ripped is the Taurus, but to me it's a great family car.  Spacious inside even if they say the leg room isn't the best, an adult can still sit back there.  Big thing is the 20 cubic foot trunk is in fact a genuine legitimate competitor for a CUV trunk as it is tall deep and wide.  You can pack a second level of bags and such and you could probably even get a bike back there.  trunk sizes are still pretty small even on many of the larger sedans.

[smk4565]

All of the lower MPG vehicles until the next fuel price shock....which may be severe.

Agreed.  If we had gas at $6 a gallon, let alone the $8-9 per gallon they have in Europe, sedans and station wagons with 4 cylinder diesels would take over.  $3.80 a gallon is relatively cheap and the car companies market the crossovers.

 

I'll take a sedan any day and take the better handling, I could drive a coupe every day if I wanted, but there wasn't a coupe I liked that I could afford.   I did see a Jaguar F-type on the road today, looked absolutely epic and sounded even better.  I wouldn't mind driving that every day.

[A Horse With No Name]

Jag F type is an epic car but is selling poorly here in America from what I understand.

[G. David Felt]

Jags sell poor here always in america. They do not really have what the consumers want.

[A Horse With No Name]

Sadly consumers here in America seem to want Nissan Altimas in huge numbers.  in that sense, i am really effing glad Jaguar does not build what Americans want.